The reports are out….. British Street Estate goes to Bromley North.

In the final recommendations released at 10.00am today the Commission’s sticks with the plans laid out in the draft document and slices through Mile End East

Final recommendations for ward boundary changes in Tower Hamlets are due to be published today (Monday 25th) at 10.00 am. The proposed changes could see the British Street Estate removed from Mile End and placed in the new proposed Bromley North Ward. Full details here

Three submissions from local organisations commenting on the changes

The Commission’s recommendations come after it considered evidence submitted to it by the Mayor of Tower Hamlets, local councillors, political groups on the council and residents.

Historic ward names will be saved after considerable lobbying from Councillors and local residents. The Boundary Commission proposals intend to keep Banglatown on the ward map, along with historic St Dunstan’s and Lansbury wards.

The boundary changes come as a result of recommendations to cull the number of Tower Hamlets Councillors from the current 51 to 45, putting six of them out of our misery.

The proposed new arrangements will now be implemented by Parliament before the new electoral arrangements to come into force for the 2014 council elections.

The last review in 1999 saw the number of councillors increased by one to the present 51 and the number of wards reduced by 2 to the present 17. The 1999 recommendations also saw the disappearance of the ecclesiastically named parish based wards of Holy Trinity, St. James, St. Dunstan’s, St. Mary’s and St. Peter’s and the creation of the Spitalfields & Banglatown ward. Back then as today the issue of ward names provoked some controversy.

Back then the proposal by the Council to rename Spitalfields ward as Banglatown and the Commissions draft recommendation to retain the existing name led to over 50 representations on both sides of the debate, including a 1,500 signature petition.